Spray nozzle



Nov. 25, 1 52 s. S. WATKINS ET AL 2.619.378

SPRAY NOZZLE Filed Sept. 4. 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l f; I; I

ATTORNEY 1952 s. s. WATKINS ETAL SPRAY NOZZLE Filed Sept. 4, 1947 I I I3 Sheets-Sheet 2 war/5W INVENTORJ Maw ATTORNEY Nov. 25, 1952 S. S.WATKINS ET AL SPRAY NOZZLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 4. 194'? m ya(/Uw'w W RS Patented Nov. 25,1952

SPRAY NOZZLE Samuel Scott Watkins and James Watson, Miami, Fla.

Application September 4, 1947, Serial No. 772,052

The present invention relates to spray or sprinkler nozzles,particularly such as are used as the outlets of subsurface piping forwatering lawns and analogous areas.

In these installations a system of underground piping is tapped by riserpipes at convenient intervals, and each riser pipe is provided at orvery slightly below the surface of the surrounding ground with a nozzleor head which is adapted, when a main control valve is opened, to throwout a spray to approximately the limit attained by the sprays fromadjacent nozzles, so that the combined effect of the whole system ofnozzles is to water substantially uniformly the entire area covered bythe installation.

Most such nozzles are constructed to throw a completely circular spray,but in many installations it is necessary or desirable to limit thespray pattern of one or more of the nozzles to some sector of a circle.This is required generally along the margins of a lawn or other area, tokeep the spray from wettin the wall of an adjacent building, or asidewalk or roadway.

The prior art has undertaken to solve the resulting problem of providingdifferent kinds of spray patterns in two ways. One wav is to providenozzles made in permanently different kinds of constructions which canbe selectively applied to the different riser pipes so as to cause eachto throw a spray of the desired pattern. The other way is to constructeach nozzle with a set of removable and interchan eable fittings whichcan be applied or removed to alter the spray pattern.

Neither of these expedients is fully satisfactory or very economicalbecause both of them involve the manufacture. stocking and purchase of asupply of different kinds of nozzles or different kinds of nozzlefittings.

A principal obiect of the present invention is to provide a noz leconstruction which can be manufactured, stocked and sold in a singleform and which can be adjusted selectively and readily by the purchaseror the operator to throw any one of a variety of spray patterns, rangingfrom full circularity to a small sector of a circle.

A related object is to provide a construction in which the spray patternregulating parts are made the same in each nozzle, and remain the sameand are at no time from the nozzle but are adapted to be adjustedreadily and instantane ously by any unskilled person, using only asimple tool, such as a screwdriver, to vary the spray 9 Claims. (01.299-18) pattern at will through a wide range of angular values.

Another object is to provide such a construction in a Very simple,inexpensive and foolproof form which will be durable and efiiciently operative through a long period of use.

A further object is to provide such a construction in a form which isadapted to be used equally well and interchangeably with elevated sprayoutlets, ground level or depressed outlets, and with the pop-up type ofoutlet, which is depressed slightly below the ground surface duringnonuse and automatically rises in response to water pressure at thebeginning of a period of use.

Another object is to provide a spray nozzle construction in which thefluid passage through which the water travels from the main to thedischarge orifice or port is devoid of abrupt directional changes sothat turbulence is reduced to a minimum. I

Another object is to make a spray nozzle which will be self-cleanin i.e., one which will automatically flush itself of grit and other foreignmatter that would tend to clog the fluid passage: ways.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages in view, all ofwhich it is believed will be understood and appreciated by those skilledin the art from a consideration of the present disclosures, certainpreferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of aspray nozzle constructed according to the principles of the inventionembodied in a form adapted tape used in an above-surface installation; V

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional view of the strjlg ture shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective View of the spray head parts; I

Fig. 4 is an axial sectional view of a. ground level installationincluding the new nozzle;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of -a pop-up type of nozzle embodyingthe principles of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is an axial sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 83 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an isometric projection of a spider ele ment used in thedevice; 7

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view, partly in axial section, of anotherform of the invention, show 3 ing a modification of the preferred sprayhead structure of the previous figures;

Figur 11 is an axial sectional view of the spray head of Fig. 10,showing the method of spray pattern adjustment;

Fig. 12 is a side elevational view of the segment assembly of themodified spray head with one of its segments removed; and

Fig. 13 is a top plan view of the modified segment assembly showing allthe segments in place.

Referring first to Fig. 4, a typical installation includes anunderground water main I provided at more or less regular intervals withriser pipes 2, each of which extends vertically up and terminates abovethe level of the ground 3 or somewhat below that level. Each riser pipehas threaded or otherwise coupled to it in watertight relation one ofthe nozzle bodies of the invention.

This nozzle body may, as shown by the drawings, take any one of a numberof specifically different forms, but all of them include a generallytubular structure having a more or less axial bore for conducting waterfrom the pipe 2 to a spray-discharging orifice at the top of the body,and all of them include means for mounting a spray head which will beadjustable relatively to the body and will cooperate with the orifice ofthe vbody to define therewith a discharge port which is preferably madeadjustable in width or thickness to regulate the character of the spray.

In Figs. 1-3 form of the invention the body is designated generally 4and comprises a short section of pipe, conveniently provided with a hexor other portion of polygonal cross section for the application of awrench in the operation of applying or removing.

The body 4 is bored and counterbored to provide a pair of axially spacedshoulders, designated 5 and 6 in Fig. 2. The lower shoulder 5constitutes the upper terminu of a straight cylindrical passage whichholds in tight frictional engagement a spider 1 which has a threadedcentral bore and a plurality of deep lengthwise grooves .8 spaced aboutits periphery. The central bore is for mounting the lower threaded endof aspray head stem 9, and the grooves 8 provide passageways for waterfrom the main l to the orifice at the upper end of the body 4, whichbecomes .the spray discharging port of the completed structure, as willbe explained. The shoulder 6, which like the shoulder is beveled ortapered so as to provide a conical surface, constricts the bore of thebody in its upper zone, so as to reduce the diameter of the orifice to adesired, convenient. value from the larger diameter of the bore at. theregion of the spider l, where the bore is made large to enablev it topass water at an adequate rate of flow.

The shoulder 6 also performs the additional and desirable function ofguiding the separate streams of water which, as will be seenhereinafter, pass up through the several grooves 3, and of causing thesestreams to merge with a minimum of turbulence into a single smoothstream of annular, or partially annular, shape.

At the upper end of the stem 9 a spray head, generally designated I0, ismounted in any convenient, more Or less permanent manner. It is thisspray head which constitutes a principal feature of the invention, andit will now be described in detail.

An important part of the spray head is a cap I I which is secured to thetop of the stem 9 or is made integral therewith. This cap is Preferablymade circular in cross section .and has at its hottom a socket 12 whichfaces toward the orifice Illa of the body 4. Mounted in this socket area plurality (four in th illustrated embodiments of the invention) ofsegmental elements l3, each of which has an upper portion having anouter surface which is convexly arcuate for snugly fitting the innerside wall of the Socket [2 and an inner surface which is concavelyarcuate for snugly fitting the cylindrical surface of the stem 9, andeach of which ha a lower portion, projecting downwardly from the socket,which is particonical. These segmented elements are mounted in thesocket by means providing for their axial adjustment from a positionseated against the base of the socket, as shown at the left hand side in.Fig. 2, to a position projected more or less downwardly from thesocket, as shown at the right hand side in Fig. 2. This adjusting meansis conveniently provided in the form of short machine screws l4, one foreach element l3, each countersunk to or slightly below the upper surfaceof the cap I I.

It will be evident that rotation of the screws M will project or retractthe individual elements [3 from or into the socket l2. It will also beevident that when all the elements [3 are retracted fully into thesocket, or when all of them are equally projected therefrom, theycombine to provide a surface extending from the socket which isregularly and completely conical (or frusto-conical, since the elementsdo not terminate in any apex because of the presence of the stem 9 inthe axis about which the elements are clustered). It will also beevident that any one or more of the elements I3 may be projected whilethe remaining elements are left retracted.

When all the elements occupy the same axial position in the socket, theycooperate and combine to form a substantially conical plug or head whichmay by rotation of the stem 9 be adjustably spaced from the orifice [0ato define therewith a spray-issuing port for producing a fully circularspray.

If it be desired to reduce the spray pattern from full circularity to asector comprising something less than full circularity, it is necessarysimply to project one or more of the elements I3 down into the orificeuntil contact is made with the body 4 to close the corresponding arc ofthe port, as is shown at the right hand side of Fig. 2. It will beobvious that in the illustrated embodiments of the invention, where foursegments l3 are used, it is possible to adjust the spray pattern to 360,270, 180, or 0. Obviously. designing the head with a larger or smallernumber of elements 13 will provide for an increased or reduced number ofspray pattern adjustments.

In order to keep the screws 14 captive in the device, I provide a coverplate 15 for the cap II and. permanently secure this plate to the cap bysome such means as a central screw I 6 set through the plate and throughthe cap and threaded into the stem 9 if, as is preferred, the cap II isnot made integral with the stem. Openings H are formed through the plateI5, one over each of the screws l4, and these openings are of smallerdiameter than the heads of the screws 24 so that the openings will admitthe blade of a screw driver to the slots in the heads of the screws butwill not pass the screw heads. Properly countersinking the heads of thescrews 14 permits these screws to be turned readily despite thedesirably tight fit of the plate l5 on the cap II.

The frictional fit of the threads of the stem 9 in those of. the spiderl is made tight enough to prevent undesired rotation of the stem, sothat the axial width of the port is kept constant when the port is fullyopen. This friction need not be very great because the spray issuesequally all around the fully open port and there is no unbalancedtendency to rotate the stem or its head.

When one or more of the elements [3 is turned down into contact with thebody 4, there is of course an unbalance of forces on the head, but anytendency of the head to rotate is very eifectively overcome by the tightfit of the projected element against the body 4. In this way rotation ofthe head is prevented and the sector-shaped spray is kept issuing alwaysin the same direction from the nozzle.

In Fig. 4 the novel parts of the structure are the same as those whichhave been described in Figs. 1-3. The sole difierence between thestructures is that in Fig. 4 the body I8 is designed for positioningflush with the ground surface or slightly below it. For this reason thetop of the body I8 is widely flared to provide a sizable depression toprotect the head from ingress of foreign matter, to permit the head tobe adjusted up and down by rotation of the stem 9 in the spider I, andto provide an unobstructed path for issuance of the spray upwardly andoutwardly from the port.

Figs. 6 and 7 show the invention embodied in a nozzle of the pop-uptype. In this construction the parts shown in Fig. 3 are assembled witha spider 1, shown. in detail in Fig. 9, which is frictionally fittedinto a supplemental body it in the form of a tube having substantiallythe internal configuration of the body 1. This tube 29 is made movableaxially in an outer casing 28 which is embedded in the ground andconnected to a riser 2.

The tube 19 has at its lower end an outwardly thickened portion, whichmakes a somewhat loose fit with the internal bore of the casing 29. Withthe body l9 retracted to its dotted line position in Fig. 7, as it is bygravity when water is not passing through it, the lower face of the bodyreceives water pressure when the water is turned on and is elevated bythis pressure to the limit established by contact of the shoulder 2| atthe upper end of the thickened lower portion of the body with acorresponding downwardly facing shoulder 22 formed in the casing or inan insert 23 or integral reduced portion set in the upper part of thecasing. The loose fit of the body i 9 in the casing 22 permits water topass between the body and the casing during the rise of the body, andthis water effectively flushes out any grit or other foreign matter thatmay be present. With the body in its uppermost position, as shown infull lines in Fig. 7, the passage between the body and the casing 253 isclosed by contact of the shoulders 2|, 22, and all the water that comesfrom the riser 2 passes up through the bore of the body it and throughthe discharge port at the upper end thereof. The body is maintained inelevated position by the water pressure, as is common in this type ofdevice.

In order to keep the body It from rotating, which would beunobiectionable when the head is arranged for a fully circular spraypattern, but which would be objectionable when the head is set for aspray pattern of less than full circularity, as is shown by thedepressed segment in Fig. 6 and the two depressed segments in Fig. 7,the outer surface of the body [9 is provided with a single lengthwiseslot or groove 24 into which projects a pin 25 formed on the inner endof a stud 26. This splining arrangement prevents rotation of the bodyand of the spray, without interfering with the vertical up and downmovement of the body. If a sleeve 23 be used, instead of makin thesleeve shape integral with the casing 20, the stud functions also tomount the sleeve in the casing. Whether separate or integral, the sleeveor its equivalent is best made with a small number of lengthwise ribs toguide the body [9 with a minimum of friction in its up and downmovements and with intervening grooves to pass the water as the bodyrises.

t will be noted that the body I9 is provided with the same kind ofspider and spray head parts that are used in the Figs. 1-3 and Fig. 4devices, so that no further description of these parts is necessary.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 10-13 a modified spray head, generallydesignated 21, is used with a body of any of the forms shown in theother figures. This modified spray head structure is mounted on a stem28 which, like the stem 9, is screw threaded into a spider 1 fixed inthe body. However, the'stem 28 difiers from the stem 9 by being threadedupwardly throughout its entire length.

A cap 29 of circular shape, having a, peripheral down turned fiange orskirt portion 3t, is made integral with the top end of the stem or ispermanently secured thereto by riveting a reduced terminal portion ofthe stem through a hole in the center of the top of the cap, in themanner shown in Figs. 10 and 11. The cap thus provides a rather sizablesocket which faces the orifice lila of the body of the nozzle.

A spray head segment assembly, generally designated 3!, is mounted inthis socket and comprises a plurality, amounting to four in theillustrated embodiment of the invention, of individual segments 32. Eachof these segments is generally similar in shape to each of the segmentsl3 but differs therefrom by having outer peripheral groove 33 and aninner thread 35 which conforms to and meshes with the thread of the stem28. The threads 34 of the segments 32 are complemental and continuous sothat when the segments are assembled in a cluster about the stem theentire assembly can be rotated to lead it up or down the stem, into orout of the socket in the cap 29 and toward or away from the orifice Illain the body 4.

A resilient annulus 35 is mounted in the groove 33 to hold the segmentsof the assembly together. This annulus may be made of metal, in the formof a flat band, or we may use an endless wire coil of the typefrequently used as transmission belts for the pulleys of smallmechanisms, but we prefer to employ a band of rubber or equivalentresilient, elastic material. Such a band efficiently performs thefunction of holding the segments together, and in addition it servesas agasket to prevent entrance of water into the cap socket.

With the entire cluster of segments 32 assembled about the stem 28, inthreaded engagement therewith, all of them can be rotated together toregulate the volume of the spray. The spray pattern can be adjusted,between full circularity and some sector of less than full circularity,by moving one or more of the segments down into contact with the body 4to close a corresponding part of the orifice Ilia. Such positioning ofone of the segments is shown in each of Figs. 10, 11 and 12. Theadjustment is easily made by turning the whole cluster sufliciently toexpose the groove 33 or the top face of the segments and then insertingany such common tool as the blade of a screw driver 36, in the mannerindicated in Fig. 11, to pry a selected segment or segments down alongthe threaded stem. In such prying movement the threads of the segmentwhich is being displaced snap over the threads of the stem and seat intheir new position, being held in-such position by the resilience of theannulus 35.

Thus-adjusted, the segment assembly is screwed back into the socket ofthe cap 29 and the entire spray head is then turned down to seat theprojected segment or segments against the body 4, thus closingacorresponding portion of the orifice-lOa.

It will'be appreciated that in this form of the invention, as in theothers, the spray patternforming parts are uniform in all constructions,regardless of the type of body which may be used and regardless of theparticular spray pattern which may be desired from any nozzle. Thisuniformity constitutes a principal advantage of the invention because,as has been suggested hereinabove, it requires only one type of sprayhead to be manufactured, stocked, sold and applied to each and every oneof the riser pipes of any installation. Adjustments are made on the siteto the spray pattern which is required by the particular areas that areto be watered and protected from water. and quickly made wheneverconditions change so as to make a different spray pattern desirable.Interchange of spray heads from one body to another, or from connectionwith one riser pipe to another, offers no difiiculty even though the newlocation may require a different spray pattern, because the new spraypattern involves only an adjustment of the segmental elements l3 or 32.

It is believed that the principal objects and advantages of theinvention will be evident from the foregoing description of the fewembodiments that have been selected to illustrate the preferredstructural forms of the-device. The broad principles of the inventionare defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A spray nozzle comprising a tubular body having an orifice at oneend, a spreader head positioned exteriorly of the body and adjacent tothe orifice for defining therewith a port for discharge of fluid, saidhead including a plurality of separate elements disposed in generallycircular assembly at least one of which elements is adjustablerelativelyto another and relatively to the body axially toward and awayfrom the orifice thereof to determine the number of de grees of arethrough which fluid may be discharged.

:2. A spray nozzle comprising a tubular body having an orifice at oneend, a spreader head positioned exteriorly of the body including a caphaving a socket facing the orifice including also a plurality ofseparate elements mounted in the socket comprising normally a singlecircular assembly the lowersurface of which is posed adjacent to theorifice for defining therewith a port for discharge of fluid, at leastone of said elements being adjustable relatively to the cap and axiallytoward and away from the orifice to determine the number of degrees ofare through which fluid may be discharged.

3. A spray nozzle comprising, a tubular body having an orifice at oneend, a spreader head positioned exteriorly of the body including a caphaving a socket facing the orifice and in- Adjustments are readilyeluding also a plurality of separate elements contained within thesocket and projecting downwardly therefrom comprising normally a singlecirculator assembly the lower surface of which is disposed adjacent tothe orifice for defining therewith a port for discharge of fluid, ascrew penetrating the top of the cap and threaded into at least one ofsaid elements for rotation relatively to said element and to said cap toadjust said element toward and away from the body to open or closecorresponding portions of the port and thereby determine the number ofdegrees of are through which fluid may be discharged.

4. A spray nozzle comprising a tubular body having an orifice at oneend, a spreader head positioned exteriorly of the body including a caphaving a socket facing the orifice and including also a plurality ofseparate elements contained within the socket and projecting downwardlytherefrom comprising normally a single circular assembly the lowersurface of which is disposed adjacent to the orifice for definingtherewith a port for discharge of fluid, said cap being provided with ahole over each element, a screw secured in each hole against aslalmovement and threaded into the adjacent element for rotation relativelyto said element and to said cap to adjust said element toward and awayfrom the body to open or close corresponding portions of the port andthereby determine the number of degrees of are through which fluid maybe discharged.

5. In a spray nozzle for normally discharging a fluid spray of fullcircular pattern, means for selectively varying the angular size of thespray pattern comprising a tubular body having a surface surrounding anorifice and forming one portion of a discharge port of normally annularshape, and a spreader head mounted on the body comprisin an assembly ofseparate elements cooperating to provide a conical lower surface formingthe other portion of said discharge port, said head including also meansfor adjusting at least one of said elements into contact with thesurface of the body surrounding the orifice to close a correspondingportion of said discharge port.

6. In a spray nozzle for normally discharging a fluid spray of fullcircular pattern, means for selectively varying the angular size of thespray pattern comprising a tubular body having a surface surrounding anorifice and forming one portion of a discharge port of normally annularshape, and a spreader head mounted on the body comprising an assembly ofseparate elements cooperating to provide a conical lower surface formingthe other portion of said discharge port, said head including also ahollow cap having a downwardly facing socket holding said elementsassembled and preventing relative lateral movement thereof and includingalso a screw penetrating an opening in the cap and threaded into eachelement for rotation relatively to the cap and element to adjust saidelement toward and away from the body to open or close correspondingportions of the port and thereby determine the number of degrees of arcthrough which fluid may be discharged.

7. In a spray nozzle for normally discharging a fiuid spray of fullcircular pattern, means for selectively varying the angular size of thespray pattern comprising a body having a discharge orifice of circularshape, a screw threaded stem pro jecting from the body through theorifice, a spreader head comprising a cap secured to the stem and havinga bottom socket facing the orifice, a plurality of separate segmentalelements filling the socket, threaded onto the stem and having lowersurfaces juxtaposed to the orifice to define therewith a discharge portof annular shape, and means yieldably holding the segmental elementstogether and to the stem whereby the elements may be unscrewed togetherfrom the socket and any of the elements may be independently adjustednon-rotatably along the stem to open or close corresponding portions ofthe port.

8. A spray nozzle comprising a tubular body having an orifice at oneend, and a spreader head positioned exteriorly of the body and adjacentto the orifice for defining therewith a port for discharge of fluid,said head comprising a cap having a bottom socket facing the orifice anda plurality of segments mounted in the socket, a screw threaded sternextending from the cap through the orifice and axially into the body,and each of said segments having a threaded interior surface meshingwith the stem and independently adjustable non-rotatably lengthwise ofthe stem into and out of engagement with the body to open or close acorresponding portion of the port, and elastic means surrounding thesegments and yieldably holding them together and to the stem.

9. In a spray nozzle comprising a body having a fluid-conducting baseproviding an orifice.

means for regulating the angular size of the spray discharged from saidorifice, said means comprising a spreader head including a cap, aplurality of separate segmental elements screwthreadedly attachedthereto and providing a normally substantially conical surface, andmeans juxtaposing said elements to the orifice to define therewith anormally annular discharge port portions oi. which may be opened orclosed by threading corresponding segments toward or from the body.

SAMUEL SCO'I'I WATKINS. JAMES WATSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

